Erasmus + APPRAIS Project

 

APPRAIS – governAnce, quality, accountability: a Piloting Reform PRrocess in kurdistAn regIon of Iraq

Erasmus + APPRAIS addresses governance, strategic planning and management of higher education institutions, with a particular focus on enhancing the capacities of human resources and proposing a reform for the local Higher Education system through the implementation of Bologna process.

APPRAIS project idea comes from the willingness of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR KRG) to improve and develop higher education system in Kurdistan region of Iraq. Within this logic, the MOHESR KRG has encouraged several Iraqi Universities to adopt the European education system thus to implement the Bologna process. Therefore, APPRAIS will contribute to allow HEIs in defining a roadmap for a better university governance and implementation of Bologna process in the HEIs of Kurdistan region of Iraq. Secondly, it will upgrade by means of training and CB action delivered by the EU universities, the skills of presidents, vice-presidents, heads of IROs and QA responsibles on strategic planning, quality assurance and credits recognition, as well as the capacities of administrative staff on university administrative management, quality assurance and internationalisation strategies. Finally, thanks to the harmonization phase, the piloting process of reform from Kurdistan region will be enlarged also to the whole country and each university will define its own institutional strategic plan.

 

The specific objectives of APPRAIS are:
-Enhancing good governance, by strengthening the definition and development of HEIs roadmap;
-Improving HEIs capacities on quality assurance mechanisms, strategic planning, management and accountability practices;
-Supporting the implementation of Bologna Process within HEIs in Kurdistan region of Iraq by improving knowledge on recognition of credits and learning mobility;
-Adopting the university reform on good governance and Bologna process at each HEIs, through the definition and validation of institutional action plans

Like any governance dimension, all the above-mentioned objectives require a strong strategic orientation and capacity to be accomplished but, at the same time, they are also preconditioning for an effective strategic planning. Consequently, the project aims at supporting each HEIs to develop their own strategies and specific action plans in order to make the governance changes possible.

 

Programme: European Commission, Erasmus+, KA2 – Capacity-building in the Field of Higher Education. The project has been funded with support from the European Union.

 

Project Duration: from 15 January 2021 to 14 January 2024.

 

Mission:

The overarching goal of APPRAIS is to support, through the cooperation with European institutions, the rebuilding and modernisation of the governance system of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, with a specific focus on strategic planning, quality assurance and Bologna process implementation. To institutionalize good governance practices in Iraqi HEIs also means enforcing institutional values such as autonomy, accountability, participation, quality assurance, and internationalization, as well as implementing well-structured management systems. The project will contribute to the development and modernization of the HE sector in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, supporting HEIs in meeting international standards and empowering university staff to effectively manage and implement changes.

 

Partners:

• UNIVERSITA DI PISA, Italy
• UNIVERSITETET I OSLO, Norway
• UNIVERSIDAD DE MURCIA, Spain
• UNIVERSIDADE DE EVORA, Portugal
• SALAHADDIN UNIVERSITY – ERBIL, Iraq
• UNIVERSITY OF SULAIMANI, Iraq
• UNIVERSITY OF DUHOK, Iraq
• HALABJA UNIVERSITY, Iraq
• DUHOK POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, Iraq
• UNIVERSITY OF GARMIAN, Iraq
• UNIVERSITY OF ZAKHO, Iraq
• CHARMO UNIVERSITY, Iraq
• MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH KRG, Iraq

 

APPRAIS contains 8 Work Packages:

1. WP1 Update Needs assessment

   T1.1 Preliminary desk research, collection of relevant data and definition of glossary
   T1.2 Identification of existing governance frameworks and best practices through HEIs self-evaluation
   T1.3 Field visits in KRI provinces for the final assessment

   [January 2021 – September 2021]

2. WP2 Definition of a roadmap for a better university governance and implementation of bologna process at KRI HEIs

   T2.1 Designing of roadmap: aims, mission, workplan
   T2.2 Consultative workshop

   [October 2021 –March 2022]

3. WP3 Strategic Planning, Management and Quality Assurance: Capacity Building action

   T3.1 Training week for university leaders in Oslo on strategic planning, QA management + recognition
   T3.2 Three Training workshop in KRI and Harmonization training in Sulaymania
   T.3.3 four Study visits, one in Pisa (Italy) and one in Evora (Portugal), one in UNIMED (Italy) and one in Murcia (Spain).

    

    

   [March 2022 – December 2022]

4. WP4 Bologna process implementation at KRI Universities: Recognition of credits and learning mobility

   T4.1 Circular field visit: Rome (UNIMED) + Murcia (Spain)
   T4.2 Online training platform & handbook

   [October 2022 – February 2023]

5. WP5 Restitution and harmonization phase towards a Shared Strategic Plan for University Reform

   T5.1 Restitution event preparation at the Ministry in Kurdistan (Erbil)
   T5.2 ToT at institutional and national level at each HEIs in Kurdistan
   T5.3 Definition and Validation of Institutional Strategic Plan for University reform

   [March 2023 – January 2024]

6. WP6 Project Quality and Evaluation

   T6.1 Creation of Quality and Evaluation Working Team and nomination of the External Evaluator
   T6.2 Drawing up of Quality and Evaluation Plan (product & process evaluation)
   T6.3 Regular Monitoring and feedback collection by Partners
   T6.4 Drawing up of evaluation reports (Mid-term and Final)

   [January 2021 – January 2024]

7. WP7 Dissemination and Exploitation

   T7.1 Design of the dissemination and exploitation plan
   T7.2 Creation and management of the Project website
   T7.3 Preparation of dissemination Materials
   T7.4 Organisation of the final Conference

   [January 2021 – January 2024]

8. WP8 Management

   T8.1 Operative and financial management
   T8.2 Performing of plenary and virtual meetings

   [January 2021 – January 2024]

 

CONTACTS:

Local coordinator – University of Sulaimani:

Dr Karzan Khidir

Director of International Academic Relations & Media

University of Sulaimani, Presidency

Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region

Iraq, PO Box: 334

Email: [email protected]

Tel.: 00964(0)7723101968

Inquiries

General Coordinator of Project:

Silvia Marchionne, UNIMED, Italy

Email: [email protected]

 

More about the project activities can be found below.

 

Project Website:

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